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| Country Background |
Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa. Its ten million people
are united by common language, culture and Islamic faith. The
land inhabited by the Somalis was divided by the colonial powers
into five parts. In 1960, two of these territories, namely,
former Italian and British colonies, united and formed the independent
Somali Republic. More than four decades have passed since the
promulgation of Somalia as a nation-state. However, Somalia
has failed to establish stable state institutions capable of
coping with the problems and challenges of the social and economic
developments.
Only after nine years, gradual deterioration of the public administration,
disruption of the local economic base and widespread corruption
of the political process had ultimately encouraged national
army to launch a bloodless coup d'etat on October 21st 1969.
Emergent democracy had shifted into the hands of the brutal
dictatorial regime of Siad Barre. Obviously, after a decade
of military rule, armed opposition movements were established,
and the spark of the civil war was ignited almost in every region
towards the end of 1980s. As a result of the continuous civil
war, all national state institutions had collapsed in 1991,
and Somalia endured a devastating civil war for the last 12
years.
Political, economic and social activities have undergone an
unprecedented degree of destruction and fragmentation. The real
solutions to such problems are hard to come. Nevertheless, restoration
of civil society and public order, return to the rule of law,
and establishment of effective, and legitimate authority are
the basis of the way out. Of course, this required well-trained
human recourses. On the other hand, for the last 12 years and
Somalia had been losing thousands of professionals needed for
the reconstruction of the country through migration, displacement
and deaths.
Somalia is struggling to cross a decade of anarchy, where mass
killing and looting had became the normal way of life. During
that period of the civil war, all government and civil projects
were destroyed; economic and political structures and infrastructures
totally demolished.
International community, regional organizations and states had
been trying with no avail to hold 12 reconciliation conferences
participated by the warlords. The failure of all these conferences
had motivated the Government of Djibouti to announce new initiative
for Somali peace conference in 1999. After many months of peaceful
negotiations, in the Arta Peace Conference hosted by Djibouti
and driven by the civil society, and the Somali people arrived
to the success point where they managed to form transitional
national parliament. This body (the TNA) in turn moved forward
the political wheel by forming the national institutions of
the Somali State. Unfortunately, however, this government did
not materialize the aspirations of the people of Somalia due
to the complex reasons, the most important of which is low organizational
and leadership capacity, failure to bring the armed oppositions
on board and to exert regional and international support.
Again, new national reconciliation conference was promulgated
by IGAD and mandated to the three frontline states namely: Djibouti,
Kenya and Ethiopia under the leadership of Kenya. This conference,
which is currently going in the Eldoret Town of Kenya, almost
all political factions, the TNG and the civil society groups
are actively participating. The expected outcome will be forming
a Government of National Unity (GNU), which replaces the current
TNG. |
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